Author Archives: Dr. Avrom Pollak

A 25 Year Retrospective on Kashrus Kurrents

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Approximately twenty-five years ago shortly before “Pesach” 5738 Mr. A. J. Levin, a vice president of the Orthodox Jewish Council, began publishing Kashrus Kurrents. In that first issue, printed on the familiar yellow paper with the blue Kashrus Kurrents logo, it was deemed necessary to advise the Baltimore community that they cannot rely on labels or advertisements that merely states ‘Kosher for Passover’. From that same issue we learned that the fledgling Star-K organization had just inaugurated its kosher hot-line whereby one could get accurate kashrus information Monday through Thursday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

A most welcome and popular feature was a list of items that did not require special Passover certification. Included were specific brands of sugar and cocoa as well as a number of commonly used over the counter medications. Compiling the list required substantial research by volunteers […]

The Mitzvah of Shatnes

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

This article is an attempt to provide a review of some of the pertinent details of the mitzvah of shatnes, to educate consumers so that they avoid purchasing garments containing shatnes, and to dispel many of the myths about certain types of clothing and textiles that do or do not contain shatnes. We hope to reduce the all too frequent instances in which the joy one naturally experiences upon purchasing a new garment is diminished when shatnes is discovered.

The Story Behind Kosher Plastics

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Until about two years ago kashrus organizations paid little attention to the kosher status of packaging materials used to contain food prepared even under the most stringent supervision. Therefore, it was quite probable that a can of soup —- made up of ingredients without even a trace of anything nonkosher, prepared on completely kosherized equipment, and where the water from the steam system having been previously used to cook cans containing nonkosher products, was completely drained —- was packaged and cooked in a steel can coated with a tallow based butyl stearate oil (BSO)! Fortunately, due to the efforts of Rabbi Jonah Gewirtz, Chairman of CSPT, working together with the Circle U and the Star-K, we were successful in having every major steel company in this country that produces steel for use in food packaging switch to a vegetable based BSO. Similarly, other lubricants and finishing […]

A 30 Year Retrospective on Kashrus Kurrents

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Published Summer 2008

Approximately thirty years ago shortly before “Pesach” 5738 Mr. A. J. Levin, a vice president of the Orthodox Jewish Council, began publishing Kashrus Kurrents. In that first issue, printed on the familiar yellow paper with the blue Kashrus Kurrents logo, it was deemed necessary to advise the Baltimore community that they cannot rely on labels or advertisements that merely states ‘Kosher for Passover’. From that same issue we learned that the fledgling Star-K organization had just inaugurated its kosher hot-line whereby one could get accurate kashrus information Monday through Thursday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Importance of Accurate Kashrus Information

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

As Bnai Torah we tend to consider ourselves sophisticated and knowledgeable regarding matters that we deem important. We are not easily swayed by glitzy advertising, nor are we apt to blindly follow recommendations from others unless we are convinced that the proffered advice is sound and based on actual knowledge. When making a major purchase such as an automobile, or deciding which yeshiva or seminary is the right choice for our son or daughter, we make a decision after deliberate and careful investigation of the facts. Of course, we do accept the opinion of others, but only after we are convinced that the one dispensing advice has factual knowledge of the issue at hand.

The Safety of Our Kosher Food

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Published Winter 2007

How many Kashrus Kurrents readers have heard this true Jewish fish tale? In the early 1900’s, when it was customary for Jewish housewives to make homemade gefilte fish, a very important food safety issue came to light. Diphyllobothrium latum, a fish tapeworm, was identified in the intestines of Jewish homemakers. It was measured at 30 feet and had a life span of up to 20 years. This largest parasite of humans attacked the digestive system of the cooks, who would periodically taste the raw concoction of ground freshwater fish to ensure the correct mix of salt and pepper. Although not fatal, gastrointestinal symptoms accompanied by increased weakness, shortness of breath, lethargy and fatigue were present for months, until the cause was finally discovered. In our day, the pernicious anemia that results may more likely be obtained from eating sushi or raw contaminated beef.

Kosher Certification-Food Safety Quality’s Eyes and Ears

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Published Summer 2010

Earlier this year, a couple of items in the secular media caught my attention. I was particularly interested in them because they brought to mind how those who are not kosher observant view Kosher.

Yoshon and Chodosh Something Old and Something New

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

The story is told about how in the mid 1970’s the proprietor of a kosher bakery in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood was asked if his products were Yoshon. Not realizing that this Hebrew word, which literally means ‘old’, actually refers to grain which had been planted before Passover, proudly, albeit naively, answered, ” I can assure you that everything in my bakery is 100 percent fresh.” Today, as we approach the millennium yoshon and chodosh have graduated and become household words which have rightfully taken their place among the more popular terms such as Glatt Kosher, Cholov Yisroel, and Pas Yisroel.